Our Coastal

Zone

- 5,000 Miles of shoreline- Four Tidal Rivers

PotomacRappahannockJamesYork

-Chesapeake Bay-Albemarle -Pamlico Sound watersheds- Beaches

The Virginia Coast ZoneThe coastal zone can be

defined as a mesh between water and land.

The coastal zone is 29% of Virginia’s land including:

5,000 miles of shorelineFour tidal riversThe Chesapeake Bay Albemarle - Pamlico Sound

Over 60% of Virginians live in coastal zones

How Important is it?

A majority of Virginians live in the coastal zone area

Virginia is included in the mid-Atlantic coastal region of which 10% of the population live below one meter elevation

Virginia Beach and the fishing industries are important sources of income for Virginia

The largest navel port is located in Norfolk, Virginia

The largest estuary in the U.S. is located within Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay

Why is it important? The low elevation of Virginia’s coastal zone makes it

specifically vulnerable to sea level rise and the rising sea level will displace all those Virginian’s who live in the coastal zone

Stronger more frequent storms will negatively impact both the fishing and tourist industries.

The stronger storms will erode the coast faster than they are already eroding, resulting in less land mass. This is bad because the water level is also rising so the coastal zones will get pushed inland and the land mass will get smaller and there will be less land for humans, plants, and animals to live on.

Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay Sea level rise

The bay will see more of a sea level rise than other regions because the land is subsiding

Tidal marshes are disappearing because they cannot move ashore as fast as the water

Tidal marshes are a key part of the bay because they filter pollution from the water, help control erosion of the shoreline, and are the home to many different types of plants and animals including the blue crab

Increase in temperature Warmer temperatures mean warmer waters and less

dissolved oxygen-> less organisms can maintain their habitat

Increased precipitation Increased run-off -> increased amount of nutrients and

sediment-> decrease of water quality More algae blooms-> death of submerged aquatic

vegetation

Problems- Population Increase

- Rise in Sea level

- No appropriated funds from the General Assembly

Solutions-Money from the General Assembly-Regulations on shoreline management.-Reduce the number of developments near the coast-Regulations spacing and range of developments

Virginia CZM Program Virginia Coastal Zone Management

Program

Comprised of the NOAA

and OCRM

Established in 1986

Departments Wetlands Management

Fisheries Management

Subaqueous Lands Management

Dunes and Beaches Management

Point Source Air Pollution Control

Point Source Water Pollution Control

Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control

Shoreline Sanitation

Coastal Lands Management

Adaptation & Mitigation

Adaptation - Initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects.

Mitigation - Actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce the extent of climate change.

Adaptation

Observation System

Regulating Erosion Protection

Create Zoning Restrictions

Observation System

Create a system which observes the changes in sea level and records information about sea level rise, its effects, its rate, and the dangers it presents both to humans and to ecosystems alike

Erosion Control And Prevention A switch from hard defenses

to soft defenses is necessary.

Soft defenses include beach nourishment, dune restoration, and shoreline stabilization. These methods both control erosion and, often times, simultaneously protect communities from high-water events.

Hard defenses, such as bulkheads, rip rap or groins, are often times more harmful then helpful.

Coastal Squeeze!

Hard defenses can trap wetlands as they try to move inland as water-levels rise

THIS CAUSES LOSS OF LAND AND HABITAT ALIKE!

Soft defenses replenish land and habitat while offering similar if not the same protection.

Restrictions on Coastal Development Coastal development

is causing an equal amount of problems for both people and the environment

High water events, coastal storms, and sea level rise cause problems for homeowners living too close to the coast

Homes too close to the coast can be considered hard defenses in and of themselves and, often times, homeowners create literal hard defenses in order to protect their home and property

Restrictions on Coastal Development Cont.

Restrictions on the zoning near any coastline must be created in order to give the coast and wetlands “breathing room”

This will allow for an easy natural migration of land and habitat if necessary as well as easy access of land to adapt it, add natural protection and soft defenses to it, and condition it for the damages global warming may cause

Mitigation

Increasingly strict admissions standards for the state of Virginia

A full force education policy

No quick fix for damage with such momentum

The key is long term policies focusing on eliminating problems

Emissions Standards As of now emissions standards are far too lenient

considering the climate change that is occurring.

As one of the states in the U.S., Virginia is responsible for doing its part in lowering harmful emissions and working towards a normal and less influenced

Emissions standards should become increasingly strict with new policies being implemented such as older cars requiring up to date maintenance to bring the greenhouse gas emissions up to the standards of modern cards.

Limitations and permits should be created for car modifications that will increase the emissions being released from the vehicle.

Education The most important aspect of solving any

large scale problem that effects the whole word or even small sections of it is education

If the youth are taught early and obtains a full understanding and appreciation for what is occurring with respect to climate change, especially when there is a focus on a particular area such as the coastal zone, there is more likely to be a long term positive change in action from them.

Give the Required Amount of Thought!

Give an appropriate amount of thought to these suggested policies

Speed? Nope!

Effectiveness? You Bet!

Adapting to

Inevitable Changes

in Virginia’s Coastal

Zone

Inevitable Changes Rising water levels

More powerful and frequent hurricanes and storms

Precipitation changes

Warmer temperatures (water and air) that will affect habitats and coastal residents

Rising Water Levels

Hurricanes and Storms

How to adapt Rebuilding seawalls

Elevating homes

Follow the actions of other states

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

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Near Term ActionsÜ LiDAR (Light Detection and

Ranging) elevation data, which is tracked by the Virginia Geographic Information Network, does not exist for most of coastal Virginia is a major obstacle to the ability to plan effectively for these changes.

Ü The continued affordability and availability of insurance for Virginia’s landowners is a concern as our climate changes.The frequency and severity of storms in the future are expected to exceed those of the past, and the insurance industry may not have the ability to handle several concurrent events.

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Near Term Actions

Residents living in coastal areas are among those who have a higher vulnerability to the health impacts caused by climate change. As such, medical assistance is a priority in this region if the situation becomes inhospitable for healthy living.

Local governments in the coastal area of Virginia should include projected climate change impacts, especially sea level rise and storm surge, in all planning efforts, including local government comprehensive plans and land use plans. 2

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Near Term Actions

Transportation and critical infrastructures should ensure that climate change impacts, particularly sea level rise and storm surge vulnerability in coastal areas of Virginia, are taken into account in all transportation planning, project design, and prioritization of projects for funding as well as systems management, operations, and maintenance.

Adaptation policies and programs for the built environment should take into consideration impacts on natural systems and minimize negative impact on natural areas that are important for mitigating the impact of climate change.

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Near Term ActionsClimate change advocates should develop a process to document climate change impacts on native species and ecosystems and recommend ways to preserve Virginia native species when feasible under conditions of climate change, while preventing the spread of invasive species.

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What’s being done now? The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration coastalmanagement.noaa.gov

The National Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program is a voluntary partnership between the federal government and U.S. coastal states and territories authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972.

The Coastal Programs Division is also responsible for advancing national coastal management objectives and maintaining and strengthening state and territorial coastal management capabilities. It supports states through financial assistance, mediation, technical services, and participation in priority state, regional, and local forums.

The Coastal Programs Division administers the program at the federal level and works with state coastal zone management partners to: Preserve, protect, develop, and where possible restore and

enhance the resources of the nation's coastal zone for this and succeeding generations

Encourage and assist the states to exercise effectively their responsibilities in the coastal zone to achieve wise use of land and water resources, giving full consideration to ecological, cultural, historic, and aesthetic values, as well as the need for compatible economic development

Encourage the preparation of special area management plans to provide increased specificity in protecting significant natural resources, reasonable coastal-dependent economic growth, improved protection of life and property in hazardous areas and improved predictability in governmental decision-making

Encourage the participation, cooperation, and coordination of the public, federal, state, local, interstate and regional agencies, and governments affecting the coastal zone.

Working with State Coastal Management Program Partners

Thirty-four coastal and Great Lakes states, territories and commonwealths have approved coastal management programs. Together, these programs protect more than 99 percent of the nation's 95,331 miles of ocean and Great Lakes coastline.

To comprehensively manage our coastal resources and balance often competing land and water uses while protecting sensitive resources, state coastal zone management programs are expected to: Protect natural resources Manage development in high hazard areas Manage development to achieve quality coastal waters Give development priority to coastal-dependent uses Have orderly processes for the siting of major facilities Locate new commercial and industrial development in, or

adjacent to, existing developed areas Provide public access for recreation Redevelop urban waterfronts and ports, and preserve and

restore historic, cultural, and aesthetic coastal features among others

In 1990, Congress created a new program under the Coastal Zone Management Act, called the Coastal Zone Enhancement Program. The program provides incentives for states and territories to make changes in any of eight areas of national significance

Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program is important also. Authorized by Section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990.

This amendment requires states and territories with approved coastal zone management programs to develop and implement programs to control nonpoint source pollution from six main sources: agricultural, forestry, urban development, marinas, hydromodifications (such as dams or stream channel modifications), and the loss of wetland.

References http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:f16L5vYWybAJ:www.

mcatoolkit.org/pdf/ISLMC_07/Coastal_GEMS.pdf+Problems+with+the+virginia+coastal+zone&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/coastmap.html

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/lawspols.html

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_04_img0494.jpg

http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/programs/czm.html

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/export/sites/default/info/documents/climate/CCC_Final_Report-Final_12152008.pdf

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/climatechange.aspx?menuitem=16860

http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/

http://ccrm.vims.edu/coastal_zone/climate_change/index.html

http://ccrm.vims.edu/research/climate_change/COASTALHABITATS_FinalReport.pdf

http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/mystate/va.html

http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentid=5317

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/virginia/preserves/art15019.html

http://sealevelreport.com/factsheets/VirginiaFactSheet.pdf

Sea Level Map

(Thieler, E.R., and Hammar-Klose, E.S., 1999. National assessment of coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise: Preliminary results for the U.S. Atlantic coast. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-593. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/of99-593/)

Hurricanes and Storms (Hurricane Isabel Photo)

Weather Warriors, http://www.weatherwarrior.net/hurricanes/03isabel/03isabel.html

http://www.arjanihomes.com/templates/uploaded_files/school_books_compressed.jpg

"The Likelihood of Shore Protection: Virginia." Adapting to Global Warming. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. <http://risingsea.net/ERL/VA.html>.

"The Global Warming Overview - Effects of Global Warming on Coastal Zones and Sea Level." The Global Warming Overview - Home. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. <http://www.theglobalwarmingoverview.com/index.php/Effects-of-Global-Warming-on-Coastal-Zones-and-Sea-Level.html>

Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/emissions.asp.

"The Likelihood of Shore Protection: Virginia." Adapting to Global Warming. Web. 06 Dec. 2009. http://risingsea.net/ERL/VA.html.

"Shoreline Management : Soft Stabilization Methods." NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management . Web. 06 Dec. 2009. <http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/initiatives/shoreline_stabilization.html>.

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http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/images/vaczmap.jpg

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